Paint can holder



1961 B. F. DIXON 2,995,281

PAINT CAN HOLDER Filed May 7, 1958 INVENTOR. FENJ4/W/Y 1; p/xa v UnitedStates Part 2,995,281 PAINT CAN HOLDER Benjamin Frank Dixon, 224 S. 4th,Montebello, Calif. Filed May 7, 1958, Ser. No. 733,510 2 Claims. (Cl.224-25) This invention relates to a piece of painters equipment and ismore particularly concerned with a paint can holder.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel paint canholder adapted to be engaged about a shoulder and the waist of a humanbody and having a portion projecting laterally from the waist to carry acan of paint.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a paint can holder'of the character referred to which is rigid and free of loose, flexibleelements and/or parts which would allow for undesirable shifting of thedevice and the paint carried thereby, about the body.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a paint canholder of the character referred to which is fully adjustable and whichcan be easily and conveniently altered or adjusted to properly fit andengage the body of the painter using it.

Many attempts have been made to provide a paint can holder to engageabout the body of a painter, but such attempts have met with little orno success. Prior devices of the general character referred to haveinvolved harnesses formed of flexible belting or webbing and carryingtrays or gimbal supported basket-like elements adapted to carry paintcans and the like.

vIt has been found, however, that due to the Weight of -a can of paintcoupled with the manner in which the can of paint must be positionedrelative to the painters body to make is accessible, the flexibleharness of the ordinary paint can holder must be engaged extremelytightly about the-painters body and to an extent that it is extremelyuncomfortable.

It has also been found that the harness of the ordi- -nary paint canholder, when engaged tightly about the body of a painter, soon shiftsand becomes loose as a result of normal movement and shifting of thepainters :body as he works.

Still further, it has been found that gimbal or gimbaltype mountingsassociated to -a harness, such as referred to above, and adapted tosupport cans of paint, are unsatisfactory since while they preventtipping or spilling of the paint cans, they necessarily occur too closeto the painters body and when the painter leans or bends over the paintcans are disposed in such a manner, with respect to the painters bodythat they are unaccessible.

An object of the present invention is to provide a paint can holderwhich eliminates each of the above-mentioned disadvantages found in theordinary paint can holder ofthe general character referred to.

Another object of my invention is to provide a paint can holder of thecharacter referred to having a rigid frame which can be convenientlypivoted or shifted about the shoulder of the painter when he desires tolean or bend over and is such that When it is thus shifted, the can ofpaint can be arranged in a convenient, accessible position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a paint canholder of the character referred to which is both easy and economical ofmanufacture and which is both highly effective and dependable inoperation.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of a typicalpreferred form and application of my invention, throughout whichdescription reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the paint can holder that I provide andshowing it engaged about the body of apainter. I

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the paintcan holderprovided by the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a transverse, sectional view showing a part of my paint canholder and taken as indicated by line 3-3 on FIG. 2.

The paint can holder A provided by the present invention is a fabricatedframe work made up of strap metal and is shown as involving generally, amain shoulder and torso engaging carrier member B, a hip engagingsupport member C coupled with and projecting laterally outwardly fromthe carrier member B, a paint can receiving basket member C carried bythe support member C and braces E 'fixed to and extending between thebasket member and the carrier member.

The main shoulder and torso engaging carrier member B of my new paintcan holder is a simple, inverted, 'U-shaped member formed of strap metaland is shown as having a round top 10 and straight, depending legs 11.The legs 11 of the member B terminate short of thebottom of theconstruction and each is provided with an elongate extension 12, formedof straight lengths of strap .metal. The upper end portions of theextensions 12oceur adjacent one side of the lower end portions of theirrelated legs 11 and are secured thereto by a pair of vertically spacedscrew fasteners 13, which fasteners are engaged through registeringopenings providedin thelegs and the extensions.

.In practice, the section .B and the extensions 12 are formedofperforated strap metal stock, that is, strap metal stock having aseries or row of equally spaced openings throughout :its .longitudinalextent. By the forming :of the section B of :such stock it will beapparent that the weight .of the carrier section 'B is materiallyreduced. It will also be apparent that through the use of such materialor :stock, it is possible to vary the overall vertical extentQfthecarr'ier. section B by removing the fasteners 13 which secure the:extensions 12 to the legs :11, shifting the extensions longitudinally.of the. legs a desired amount and until the openingsiin the extensionsregister with the 'openings in the legs and thenre-engaging thefasteners 13 there- The.hip.:engaging support section .C is asubstantially horizontally disposed :menrber formed of a single lengthof strapmaterial andis :related to the lower end :of the .main section113, .to project laterally outwardly therefrom. The sectionlC is shownas having a rounded or semi-cir- -cular .outer :portion .14, straight,intermediate portions 15 projecting inwardly from the outer'portiontoterminate at the lowemends *o'fithe extensions 12 of the main carriersection B, and laterally inwardly'turned, curved end portions 16 at theinner ends o'f-the intermediate portions and having opposing ends whichestablish overlapping engagement with each other.

The inner ends of the intermediate portions 15 of the section C arepivotally connected to the lower terminal ends of the extensions 12 ofthe section B by means of suitable screw fasteners 17 engaged throughregistering openings provided in the extensions 12 and the sections Band C.

The overlapping, inwardly turned, curved end portions 16 of the sectionC cooperate to establish a curved hip engaging or embracing portion. Thesaid end portions 16 are secured together by means of a pair of spacedscrew fasteners 18 engaged in registering openings in the said endportions of the section C.

In practice, the section C, like the section B, is formed of perforatedstrap metal stock and is such that the end portions 16 thereof can beshifted relative to each other before they are made fast by thefasteners 17 and in a manner to adjust the said hip engaging portion ofthe section C to fit the hip of the painter using the device.

The paint can receiving basket member D is shown as a simple, upwardlyopening, basket-like element and is shown as including a circular,horizontally disposed loop 20 formed of strap metal and a pair ofupwardly opening, laterally spaced, U-shaped brackets 21 havinghorizontally disposed bottoms 22 and upwardly projecting legs 23. Theupper ends of the legs 23 are fixed to the loop 20 as by spot welding W,or the like.

straight lengths of perforated strap stock having inner ends secured tothe legs 11 of the section B by means of the screw fasteners 13 whichsecure the extensions 12 to the legs 11, and having their outer endspivotally connected to the loop 20 of the basket section D as byrivettype fasteners 24, as clearly illustrated in the drawings.

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparent that thebraces E serve to maintain the support member C and the basket member Din fixed angular relationship with respect to the main section B. Itwill be further apparent that the angle at which the section C andmember D occur, with respect to the section B, can be easily andconveniently varied by simply shifting and repositioning the screwfasteners 17 with which the braces are related in the section B.

In operation, a can of paint P is engaged in the 'upwardly openingbasket section D from the upper open end thereof. The holder A is thenlifted and engaged with or about the body of the painter so that the topof the section B thereof occurs over one shoulder, so that the .legs andextensions 11 and 12 of the section B depend diagonally across thepainters body and so that the curved hip engaging portion of the supportsection C, established by the curved end portion 16 thereof, engageabout the hip of the painter.

It will be apparent from the above, that my new paint can holdersuitably supports the can of paint P and in a position at one side ofthe painter where it is convenient for use. It will be further apparentthat the holder is such that it will not readily swing or shift out ofposition about the body of the painter, yet is such that if it shouldswing or shift, either by accident or on purpose, the rigidity of thedevice makes it possible to easily and conveniently catch and controlthe movement thereof.

In the preferred carrying out of the invention, and as illustrated inthe drawings, a suitable pad 25 is provided on the inside of the topportion 10 of the section B, which pad bears against the shoulder of thepainter. In practice, the pad 25 can be formed of any suitable materialand can be secured to the section B as by means of rivets 26 engagedthrough the pad and through certain of the apertures or openings in thesection B.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself anymodifications or variations that may appear to those skilled in the artand fall within the scope of the following claims:

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A paint can holder of the character referred to including, aninverted, rigid U-shaped carrier member having a rounded top adapted tobe engaged over a shoulder of a painter and straight legs adapted todepend diagonally across the body of the painter, a rigid support memberpivotally connected to the lower ends of the carrier member legs toproject laterally therefrom and having a curved portion extendingbetween the legs to embrace the hip of the painter, an upwardly openingpaint can receiving basket member at the outer end of the supportmember, rigid braces pivotally connected to the basket member andreleasably secured to the legs of the support member at points spacedabove the lower ends of the legs, and a shoulder engaging pad secured tothe top portion of the carrier member, the said carrier member, supportmember and braces being formed of perforated strap metal and connectedone to the other by screw fasteners engaged through registeringperforations occurring in adjacent portions of the several members.

2. A paint can holder of the character referred to including, aninverted, rigid U-shaped carrier member having a rounded top adapted tobe engaged over the shoulder of a painter, straight legs adapted todepend diagonally across the body of the painter and extensionsreleasably secured to and depending from the legs, a rigid horizontallydisposed support mmber having a rounded central portion, straight,intermediate portions projecting inwardly from the central portion andhaving their inner ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of theextensions and curved, laterally inwardly projecting end portions at theinner ends of the intermediate portions establishing overlappingengagement with each other and adapted to embrace the hip of thepainter, an upwardly opening basket member engaged in and fixed to thecentral portion to project upwardly therefrom and adapted to receive acan of paint and rigid elongate braces having one end pivotallyconnected to the upper end of the basket member and the other ends fixedto the lower end portions of the legs, the carrier member, extensions,support member and braces being formed of perforated strap metal stockand releasably secured together by means of screw fasteners engagedthrough registering perforations in their adjacent and overlappingportions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,109,161 Chindgren Sept. 1, 1914 1,188,955 Leonard June 27, 19161,370,768 Sperling Mar. 8, 1921 1,542,163 Morde June 16, 1925 2,846,699Watson Aug. 12, 1958

